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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. H. WHITE. APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS;

Patented Oct. 28, 18 90.

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2 t e e h S 8 b e e h S 2 E T I H H M e d 0 M O W APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OFGAS. 455.

Patented Oct. 28, 1890.

IPII Ful UNITED STATES PATENT QEEICE.

HENRY IVHITE, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ON E-HALF 'TO PERCY L. CRAIG, OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,455, dated October 28, 1890.

Application filed February 3, 1890. $eria1 No. 339,053. (No model.)

To all whom it 17mg concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY WHITE, a resident of Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Apparatus for the Manufacture of Gas; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to the manufacture of gas, its object being to provide an appara tus which is simple and cheap in construction for the manufacture of heating or fuel gas, employing for that purpose pulverized coal, charcoal, or other like carbon, oil, and superheated steam.

In the apparatus embodying my invention I employ a series of horizontal retorts extending across a furnace-chamber and having at one end thereof suitable devices for introducing the material from which the gas is to be formed, these retorts opening into a horizontal casin g extending along one end of the furnace and having a deflecting-wall therein provided with openings out of line with the opening of the retorts, so that the gas can pass through the same, while any undecomposed matter will settle within such chamber and the gases can rise and pass again through other pipes across the furnace-chamber, in order to fix or render them stable, the gases then passing to the gas main or holder. I also employ a particular construction of furnace for the heating of the said retorts and pipes, so that the same may be raised to the proper temperature, and the gaseous or other fuel employed for heating the same can be employed to the best advantage, both for the heating of the pipes and the generation and superheating of steam, all of which will be hereinafter more particularly set forth and claimed.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a cross section of the apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3, Fig. 1.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each.

The apparatus is built within a suitable furnace inclosed within a casing a, the casing being lined with fire-brick and this furnace being divided by longitudinal walls I) 1) into three chambers e (Z c. The chambers c d are of like construction, each having a grate c at the base, with a feeding-door (2 above the same, and each having gas-supply pipes cl leading from the gas main or holder to supply gas to the chambers for heating purposes. These chambers extend to the top wall of the apparatus, so that the series of retorts f, extending through from wall to wall of the apparatus, as well as the fixing-pipes g g, are exposed to the heat in said chambers, as shown. The middle chamber 6 has no grate, but communicates with the furnace-chambers (Z and 6 through ports e,there beingone or more of these ports leading from each chamber 0 and (1, respectively, as may be found desirable. \Vithin the chamber e is the perforated arch e extending across the same just above the ports e, so that the products of combustion from the chambers c d may pass into the chamber e and rise through the perforated arch 6 into the chamber h above the chamber 6', and they may pass along through said chamber to one end thereof, the roof of the chamber 7L being formed of a solid arch 7L, having at one end ports 7L2, opening to the boiler-chamber i above the chamber h, in which chamber any suitable boiler or steam generator t" is supported on the arch h, the waste products of combustion being thus utilized for the generation of the steam employed in the manufacture of the gas.

There are a series of the retorts f extending across the apparatus, four or more such pipes or retorts being employed, and the retorts being made of any suitable refractory material, fire-clay, or cast-iron, as may be found desirable. At one end of each retort f is the injector 70, above which is the coal-hopper Z, containing coal-dust or other suitable carbon in a pulverized condition, the co. l-dust being fed into the injector through the valve Z and the hopper being closed by any suitable flap or like valve to prevent the entrance of any large quantity of air.

Communicating with the injector is is the oil supply pipe m, controlled by suit-able valves m, the oil-supply pipe leading to a suitable pump or reservoir, and the oil being either pumped into the apparatus or being fed thereto by gravity, or sprayed within the same by the steam-jet.

Leading from the boiler 11 is the steamsupply pipe at, this pipe passing through the furnace-chamber c and having, as desired, one or more return-bends therein, so as to form a superheater, the pipe at leading to the injector is and being controlled by a valve n.

- wall of the furnace, the several retorts communicating with the same casing, which may extend below the outlets of the retorts and may be termed a settling-chamber, its purpose being to separate from the gases any undecomposed portions of the coal-dust or hydrocarbons. Extending diagonally across this chamber is the deflecting-plate '1", which is shown by Fig. 2, having a series of openings or ports 0" therein, through which the gas may pass, these openings being placed between the discharge-openin gs of the several retorts, so that the current of gases in passing from the re tor-ts strike against this deflecting-plate, and any solid matter carried with the gases will be deflected by the same down into the lower end of the settling-chamber, while the gases will pass through the openings 7*, which are thus out of line with the discharge-openings of the retorts.

Rising from the chamber 19 are a series of pipes g, which communicate at their upper ends with a casing forming the chamber 8, this chamber communicating with the series of pipes g, which extend in a downward incline to the casing forming a chamber twithin the furnace-chamber h, above referred to. The chamber t is formed of a casing extending the length of the apparatus, and has leading therefrom pipes g, which pipes lead in an upward incline to a casing forming the chamber u in the opposite side wall of the apparatus, and from which chamber u the eduction-pipe 1; passes to the gas main or holder. The several casings p, s, t, and u extend through the end walls of the apparatus and are closed by suitable clamping-plates, so that access may be obtained to them, and any solid matters which may settle in the same can be removed from the apparatus, such solid matters being retained in the chamber 19, which extends below the retorts, as above described, or in the chamber 26, as the pipes communicating with said chamber are inclined downwardly toward it, and any tar,. coal-dust, or such substances will therefore gather therein, while the chamber it extends below the ends of the pipes g, and so provides for the settling of any such materials therein.

The operation or the gas-making apparatus constructed as above described is as follows: Fires are kindled upon the grates c of the chambers c and d, and the productsof combustion rising within said chambers act to heat the portions of the retorts f and pipes g g within the chambers. The products of combustion then pass through the ports 6 into the chambere and rise through the perforat-ed arch 6 around the central portions of the retorts f and around the inner ends of the pipes g g and the longitudinal chamber 2., raising all these parts of the apparatus to a high heat, the waste products then passing through the lines 1' on each side of the boiler or steam-generator i and escaping to the stack. By such course the gas-generating retorts f, the gas-fixing pipes g g, and the easing t are raised to a high heat and the steam necessary for gas-making is generated and superheated. When the apparatus is brought to a proper heat for gas-making, the operator, through the valves Z m 02', respectively, opens communication from the chamber Z,containing pulverized coal, the pipe m, contain ing oil or other liquid hydrocarbon, and the pipe 72, leading from the steam-boiler, to the injector 7c. The steam-pipe n, as it leads, as above described, through the furnace-chamber 0, provides superheated steam for the manufacture of the gas, and the coal-dust, oil, and superheated steam are thus intermingled in the highly-heated retorts f, and all these materials are gasified in this cham her, the superheated steam uniting with the carbon of the coal-dust, the hydrogen being set free, and the carbon and oxygen uniting to form carbonic oxide, so producing watergas, while the hydrocarbon is first vaporized and then caused to unite with the water-gas so generated and enrich the same, and the combined water and hydrocarbon gases pass through these retorts f into the chamber 9. In entering this chamber the gases are deflected by the plate 0 and any solid mattersuch as any undecomposed coal-dust or the sediment from the hydrocarbonis deflected by the plate 0, so that it can settle in the lower part of the chamber 19, the gas passing through the openings or ports 7" in said deflecting-plate and rising into the portion of the chamber 13 on the opposite side of the defiecting-plate, and thence rising through the pipes q into the longitudinal casing s. The

gases then pass through the pipes g, which and through the casing forming the chamber 25, and through the pipes g into the casing forming the chamber a, and thence through the eduction-pipe v to the tank. As these pipes and casings are maintained at a high heat, it is are highly heated, as above described,into' evident that the gases formed in the retorts are either fixed in said retorts or are fixed within the pipes g g and easing if, where they are subj ected to a high heat and to considerable pressure, as the diameter of the fixing-pipes is less than that of the retorts, and the gases being thus intermingled under pressure at a high heat and so rendered fixed, and a practically-stable gas is thus obtained. This is continued until a sufficient body of gas is obtained in the gas-holder to carry the gas to the furnace-chambers 0 (Z, when the coal-fires on the grates c of said chambers are permitted to die out, and gas is fed through the pipes cl to said chambers, and gas employed for heating the apparatus in the regular continuous operation thereof.

lhe apparatus is simple in construction and can be built at low cost. It provides for the ready vaporization and gasifying of the hydrocarbons, and in addition to that the generation of gases from coal-dust and steam at a comparatively low cost, and so enables me to utilize the hydrocarbons for furnace-heating purposes to great advantage, the hydro-' carbon when employed in such an apparatus providing a gas at low cost, by which the same heat may be generated with the expenditure of about one-third to one-fourth of the amount of hydrocarbon for the purpose.

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In apparatus for the manufacture of gas, the combination of a casing containing a f urnace-chamber, a series of retorts having injectors communicating with the forward ends thereof, extending across the furnace-chamber, and communicating at their delivery ends with a casing extending below the retorts, and a deflecting-plate within said casing, having ports or openings out of line with the delivery ends of the retorts, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In apparatus for the manufacture of gas, the combination of the casing a, having the furnace chamber or chambers therein, the series of retorts f, extending across said chamber, the injectors 7t, communicating with said retorts, the casing 19, into which said retorts open, the casings s and u, pipes leading from the casing 13 to the casing s, and the returnpipes above the retorts and ext-endin g through the furnace-chamber, said return-pipes extending from the casing s to the casing u, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In apparatus for the manufacture of gas, the combination of a casing containing a furnace-chamber, a series of retorts having inj ectors communicating with the forward ends thereof and extending horizontally across the furnace-chamber and communicating with a separate casing 19, a separate casing 3 above the casing 19 communicating therewith, and a series of pipes g g, the pipes g leading from the casing s in a downward incline to the casing t and the pipesgleading from the casing t in an upward incline to the casing to, said pipes g g extending through the furnace-chamber, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I, the said HENRY \VHITE, have hereunto set my hand.

HENRY WHITE.

itnesses:

J. N. CooKE, RoBT. D. TOTTEN. 

